The Cartel, Back to Nature (ACP)
Main Page: A Cularin Presence Key ideas of this encounter: discovery of the Cartel’s central base of operations, hidden in the jungle; opportunity to question Velin Wir about the Cartel’s intentions; learning about the other operation that may be running in the jungle. The Cartel guards show up at the end of the fight with the Mulissiki, either to pull the heroes’ collective butts out of the fire, or to find out what was going on and escort the heroes back to the Cartel base. They are under very specific orders from no less than Velin Wir himself to not harm anyone who comes near the base, because invariably, that will generate negative publicity. So they will do what they can for the heroes, including using Medpacs (There are 2 Medpacs carried by each Caarite Soldier) on injured heroes. Caarites are about a meter tall, with features that are vaguely porcine. While basically Humanoid, they have slightly elongated snouts, turned delicately upward at their tips, and broad, open faces that only make their too-friendly smiles look all the friendlier. Their flesh is pale pink, so pale that you can see the veins pumping beneath, and they have no hair anywhere on their bodies. The eight Caarite Guards stand around the perimeter of the clearing, watching for more Mulissiki- or anything bigger that may come crashing through the jungle. They all wear the uniform of the Cartel, the dark grey flight suit with four silver stars stitched on the left breast, and while none of them have drawn their weapons, they all have Blaster Pistols strapped to their sides. They sniff the air, their snouts wiggling almost hungrily. The leader- he must be the leader, by the red bars on his collar- turns to you. “You’re a long way from the city. You should come with us; it’s not safe out here. Councilor Wir will want to speak with you.” This is Corporal Dregz, one of the guard squad commanders for the Cartel. He’s extremely businesslike and formal, and is following his orders to the letter. It truly isn’t safe out here, and he’s not to allow anyone to wander around. It is much, much safer for the heroes to go with him. He will be more than willing to explain that the Mulissiki are some of the lesser creatures of the jungle, and the party was lucky not to meet anything more threatening than that. (And Tarasin heroes will know he’s telling the truth!) He will be reticent to answer questions about what the Cartel is doing out here, saying that, “Such information is really Councilor Wir’s place to share, not mine. But he has reasons, I’m sure, that keep the best interests of all concerned at heart.” He knows that the Cartel has been careful not to upset the balance of the forest more than they have to with their presence, but really isn’t aware of details. He’s a pawn in the organization, really, and only knows what he’s told, although he has seen other ships in the area which were not Cartel vessels. Those, again, would be Councilor Wir’s place to tell the heroes about, since the Councilor knows everything that goes on in the area. The heroes really shouldn’t think it’s a good idea to fight with these guys and you, the judge, shouldn’t give them any reason to. No one is under arrest; this is simply an offer of shelter and information. And if you like, have the Caarite Guards start getting antsy because there’s something big coming. Make it clear that the heroes are in no danger if they go with the guards, that they can keep all their weapons, and that they are to be guests of Councilor Wir during their visit. The trek through the jungle is short, leading you within a few hundred kilometers of a small hillock with a bunker built into one side, shielded from any craft that might pass overhead by a rocky outcropping. Another dozen Caarite Guards lounge near the entrance, and they seem to only barely notice as Dregz and his patrol lead you inside. The facility itself shines and whirs, everything new and top of the line. Caarites, Humans, and other Species scurry busily about, reading Datapads or talking about “Future Ventures.” The main corridor you’re in winds down into the hill, finally opening out into a grand receiving room where multiple plush sofas line the walls and an iridescent conference table stretches from one end of the room to the other. High-backed wooden chairs covered with exotic fabrics surround the table. Wooden chairs are odd. Remember how little we see in Star Wars of wood products? Yet these are fine woods, and fit the décor perfectly. The woods are easily identifiable as having come from the trees that grow in the rainforests of Cularin. A door at the far end of the room slides open, and Velin Wir steps through. He smiles, holds his hands wide, and bows deeply before crossing the room to greet each of you. “Welcome! We had not expected to be offering tours so soon, but it seems I underestimated the curiosity and ingenuity of the citizens of this fine system. Please, have a seat, I’m sure you have questions for me.” Wir is a sleazy politician, the ultimate used-speeder salesman. Smile when you play him. A LOT. Every answer provided here is the TRUTH. He just isn’t going to share anything negative... Some answers to questions you might get: What are you doing out here? Gadrin and Hedrett are crowded and overly busy. We needed a base of operations that was more isolated, a lower-traffic area. Why lower-traffic? Because we deal in high volumes of merchandise. If we set up in the city, we would interfere with shipping for the other concerns, which is not our intention. We don’t want to take over all trade in this system. Then what do you want to do? Cularin has some resources that are unique. The wood from which these chairs are made, for example, is among the finest ornamental wood in the galaxy. So you plan to strip the forests? All of these chairs were made from trees that had fallen or died naturally. We try not to upset the balance. Besides, if we stripped the forest, that would flood the market with this fine wood, and where would we be then? So you were just going to hide out here? Oh, of course not. But we know how touchy systems can be about us. It’s easy to view change as threatening, and our announcement today was sure to make many people unhappy. We were intending to announce our presence in the jungle within ten days. Now, we will go public this evening, with your consent. Are you aware of the problems in Gadrin? The thefts? I’ve heard of them, yes. It’s unfortunate. We have evidence that some of the stolen goods were brought in this direction. Was that you? Goodness no! We have no need for supplies from offworld, we have our own. I am aware of another presence out here, though. Do tell? Some of my guards have reported the construction of a landing platform in the forest, about two clicks west of here. We’ve seen numerous shuttles and other vessels going that direction, but they were no business of ours. However, you have now made it our business. Can you tell us how to get there/take us there? Of course. I would recommend caution, as there is no telling what may await you, but I could certainly send a patrol with you if you like. The heroes are welcome to converse more with Wir. This is all he is really able to tell them now. They are welcome to tour the facility if it will assuage their fears, and they will see nothing out of the ordinary. Don’t let this drag on too long, though, since they still have another encounter to go through (Piracy?)! Wir will be very polite (And oily) and answer any questions he can to the best of his ability. Use the above as a guide for how he will answer. If anyone tries to use Sense Force on Wir, he does detect as slightly Force-sensitive, but will be honestly surprised to hear this if they tell him. Category:Homebrew Content